Science · 2012 · 428 citations · 46 references
Natural SciencesEarth SciencesOceanographyBiogeochemistryGlaciologyOcean CirculationCarbon CycleCarbon Cycle ChangeCarbon FixationIce Core PaleoclimateIce Core RecordsStable Isotope PaleoclimatologyAntarctic Ice CoresCarbon ConstraintsCarbon Isotope BiogeochemistryCarbon Isotope GeochemistryCarbon Isotope ProxiesLast Glacial Maximum Sea Surface TemperatureStable Carbon Isotope RecordsStable Isotope Proxies
The stable carbon isotope ratio of atmospheric CO(2) (δ(13)C(atm)) is a key parameter in deciphering past carbon cycle changes. Here we present δ(13)C(atm) data for the past 24,000 years derived from three independent records from two Antarctic ice cores. We conclude that a pronounced 0.3 per mil decrease in δ(13)C(atm) during the early deglaciation can be best explained by upwelling of old, carbon-enriched waters in the Southern Ocean. Later in the deglaciation, regrowth of the terrestrial biosphere, changes in sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation governed the δ(13)C(atm) evolution. During the Last Glacial Maximum, δ(13)C(atm) and atmospheric CO(2) concentration were essentially constant, which suggests that the carbon cycle was in dynamic equilibrium and that the net transfer of carbon to the deep ocean had occurred before then.
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IntCal09 and Marine09 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves, 0–50,000 Years cal BP
Paula Reimer, M. G. L. Baillie, Édouard Bard et al. · Radiocarbon · 2009 · 4.3K citations · Full text
Orbital and Millennial Antarctic Climate Variability over the Past 800,000 Years
J. Jouzel, Valérie Masson‐Delmotte, Olivier Cattani et al. · Science · 2007 · 2.7K citations · Full text
One-to-one coupling of glacial climate variability in Greenland and Antarctica